Lake lamprey
| Lake lamprey | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Cephalaspidomorphi |
| Order: | Petromyzontiformes |
| Family: | Petromyzontidae |
| Genus: | Entosphenus |
| Species: | E. macrostomus |
| Binomial name | |
| Entosphenus macrostomus (Beamish, 1982) | |
The lake lamprey, Entosphenus macrostomus, also known as the Vancouver lamprey, is a species of lamprey in the family Petromyzontidae. It is endemic to Lake Cowichan and Mesachie Lake in Vancouver Island, Canada
The ammocoetes and recently metamorphosed adults live in streams that feed into the two lakes, while the adults live primarily in the lakes proper. The adults, which live for about 2 years, prey primarily on the Cutthroat trout and the Coho salmon. One out of every two to four out of every five such salmonids in Lake Cowichan and Mesachie Lake show signs and scars of attack by the lake lamprey. Adults have been experimentally proven to survive in salt water, but, in the wild, preferentially remain in freshwater environments. Adults spawn in shallow gravel bars between June and late August.
Source
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Entosphenus macrostomus" in FishBase. April 2012 version.
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Lampetra macrostoma. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 3 August 2007.
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